Chapter 201: Your choices

"Do not bind ash to memory, nor silence to a beating heart," The recite started all at once, voices steady and grounded. "What has crossed beyond the final door must not be summoned by longing."

The bodies began to shimmer, into the cool air, preparing to disperse.

To the students’ surprise, Quil joined in the recitation. Although he had only heard it once, it was trapped in his head without much effort.

"I stand not to awaken the dead, but to unbind the chains that tether them to the cries of the living. Bone to dust, dust to earth, earth to silence—"

A single sound interrupted them all. Someone tripped.

All eyes turned to the source of the sound, and brows furrowed right after. It was unusual. Brin and Jordan exchanged glances, then Jordan slowly bent down to Elias who was currently sitting on the ground.

"Are you alright?" He whispered, lowering his voice to avoid disrupting the concentration.

No reply.

Elias’s eyes were fixed ahead, on the corpses, but he said nothing.

"Irue?"

Brin bent down also. "Brother?"

"Silence to nothing." Richard’s voice echoed across the cave, making the siblings flinch. He wasn’t even looking at the scene.

All eyes turned back and they chorused.

"Silence to nothing!"

Kael slowly felt every hair on his skin rise. These were the same words Liumin had recited when he gave up his soul.

"They’re stopping the circle of reincarnation." He whispered.

"May every borrowed breath be returned, may every lingering soul find the peace that no hand may disturb. For death is not an enemy to conquer, it is the final mercy."

Kael felt weak in feet. He staggered and was caught by Tyler. The candles began to burn brighter, and their voices boomed louder.

"Without fear, nor burden, nor regret, be no whisper upon this world. Become the emptiness after the last star fades. Become—nothing."

Anny and Lane were now kept shut by clamping a hand over their mouths, eyes wide in bewilderment.

The bodies were gone, scattered into the air like they never existed to begin with.

As soon as it stopped, the people turned around and began to disperse, murmuring inaudible words to themselves.

The family members stepped forward to light the candle.

It was at this point, Elias came back.

He gave three consecutive blinks before he turned his head.

"Are you alright?" Jordan was still holding his shoulder.

"Aa... me?" He blinked again, like he was trying to return to the reality he already had." "I’m fine. I’m fine. Just a..."

Brin and Jordan helped him up, and he staggered a few times before standing steady.

"What happened?" Jordan asked.

"What? oh... to me?" He glanced at the entrance. "Nothing."

"Hey!" Brin grabbed him. "We don’t keep secrets! Elias!"

Jordan’s eyes followed him to the entrance, and saw Richard leaving the cave.

"Is it about father?"

This drew Elias’s attention back to them. It looked like he didn’t want to admit it at first, but then he nodded.

"Yes. It’s about father."

"You saw him?" Brin probed further. "What was he doing"

"Fight—fighting."

"Fighting?" The siblings chorused.

"Killing, if we’re more precise."

"Like a war?" Jordan asked.

"No, no. It was a... a one-sided massacre."

"So father was killing these people... in a war?" Brin tried to clarify what he saw.

"It wasn’t a war." Elias muttered, voice lowered than usual. "They were civilians!"

"Civilians?"

"I have seen a part of it before." Elias continued. "And he picked my name right there. Irue."

Jordan and Brin exchanged glances.

"Except, he wasn’t the only one this time." Elias took a few steps back and sat on one of the rocks. "There was someone else with him."

Brin sat by his side and Jordan before him, hands folded.

"Can you describe this person?" he asked.

"He... wears a mask. I can’t see his face."

"Well then, can you describe him?" Brin asked.

"He’s... like me?"

"Like you how?" Jordan threw the next question. "In what part?"

"Height, built?" Elias gestured at himself. "Only that I couldn’t see his face."

"So like you, but not you." She said, "Is there a chance that it could be you?"

"No... father was younger. I don’t think we were born."

"It depends on how young. I mean that man is like a million years old." Jordan muttered.

The trio laughed.

"It wasn’t me. I’ll know myself."

"Alright, alright." Jordan unfolded his arms. "Not you, but about your age."

"Yeah."

"So what was he doing?"

"The same thing father was doing."

"You mean killing civilians." Brin asked.

"Yes." Elias nodded. "He held a sword. A long sword."

"Long sword?" Jordan raised a brow. "How long?"

"Very long."

"Like your mother’s sword?" She asked.

Elias glanced at Brin. He suddenly remembered. The long sword was exactly what was sitting on Cartel’s forehead. Disciple Myai’s sword.

"It’s mother’s sword."

"So a teenager was killing people with your mother’s sword, along with father." Brin stood up. "That means she might know him, right?"

"Right." Jordan spoke. "But why are we doing this? What exactly does that trance have to do with anything?"

"He can somehow see into time." Brin yelled, eyes brimming with excitement. "We can’t, but he can."

"Okay?"

She frowned. "What do you mean okay? Father told us everything. We expected this."

"We expected this, but we’re not interfering! Yeah, he told us what we needed to know." Jordan slammed his knuckles against his palm. "He told us not to dig further, and why we shouldn’t dig further. Did you forget? sister?"

Elias was getting confused. "Told you what?"

They ignored him.

"But maybe—"

"No buts." Jordan cut her off. "This is exactly what we shouldn’t interfere with and you know why. We don’t want to ruin everything, yes?"

Elias raised his hand. "Ruin what?"

He was ignored again.

"I need you to answer me, Brin. Stick to the plan."

Her face fell. "Alright."

"What plan is this?" Elias’s voice finally got to them.

They glanced at him.

"What did father tell you both?"

She didn’t reply, and didn’t expect that Jordan would answer.

"Father told us not to interfere in your choices. Your choices are yours to make."